Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

Die Nibelungen (1924)

Director: Fritz Lang

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Siegfried, the first part of Lang's epic, based on the same myth cycle that inspired Wagner's Ring, is a slow, grave pageant in the form of a ballad. The visual style is as monumental as the narrative, with forests and castles modelled on 19th century Romantic paintings, and the whole is based upon an intense pleasure in spectacle, compounded by the inspired trick-work: a magical dragon, fiery landscapes for Brunhilde's Northern home, and Walter Ruttmann's interpolated Dream of the Hawks. In the second part, Kriemhild's Revenge, as Kriemhild and the Huns destroy the Burgundians who have murdered Siegfried, so the emphasis on fatalistic design, plotting and architecture is replaced by the furious, crowded movement of the battle which comprises most of this half. The mix of desire, death and revenge is common in Lang, but here, with the distance of myth, the concentration on violent spectacle, and - most important - the woman as focal point, the impression is of pure, passionate nihilism running riot.

Author: SJ 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

The ultimate 'Harry Potter' crib sheet

The ultimate 'Harry Potter' crib sheet

Our resident potter professor, Wally Hammond, offers the ultimate introduction to 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

Bruno is here!

Bruno is here!

Sacha Baron Cohen hits the streets as Austria's premiere gay fashionista in 'Bruno'. Read our review of the film plus see the pics from our cover shoot

Lars von Trier's 'Antichrist': joke or masterpiece?

Lars von Trier's 'Antichrist': joke or masterpiece?

Dave Calhoun invites seven experts to watch Lars von Trier's latest and share their reactions

Classic Film Club: 'Smiles of a Summer Night'

Classic Film Club: 'Smiles of a Summer Night'

Each week Tom Huddleston watches a classic film he's never seen before. The rules are simple: each film must be considered a masterpiece and each must be completely new to him.

Has Michael Mann lost it?

Has Michael Mann lost it?

Adam Lee Davies mourns the passing of a major Hollywood talent as Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' sees the great director running on empty

Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults

Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults

Tom Huddleston takes a look at a selection of films which bring adult problems to a pre-teen audience

Is this Summer 2009's best film?

Is this Summer 2009's best film?

The French filmmaker Claire Denis speaks to Dave Calhoun about her new film, '35 Shots of Rum', a tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship in Paris

Outdoor film screenings in London 2009

Outdoor film screenings in London 2009

Derek Adams offers a guide to the best places to see films outside in London this summer

50 essential sci-fi films

50 essential sci-fi films

With 'Star Trek' making serious waves, we thought it would be a perfect time to select 50 must-see sci-fi films






The City made easy in association with Sony Ericsson W715